Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-N.Y.) is demanding the resignations of House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.) and Sens. Ted Cruz (R-Texas) and Josh Hawley (R-Mo.).
POLL: Should the Right embrace Conservatism or Populism to win future elections?
Ocasio-Cortez’s demand came during a virtual town hall with supporters Friday. She claimed that those Republican lawmakers are no longer worthy to be members of Congress because they share responsibility for inciting the deadly riots on Jan. 6 at the U.S. Capitol.
What did AOC say?
“What we saw last week was not just a violent coup attempt, but we also saw a dereliction of duty and a betrayal of our country and a betrayal of the oath that we swear,” Ocasio-Cortez began.
“And that is why I have demanded the resignations of Senators Ted Cruz, senators (sic) Josh Hawley, Republican Minority Leader in the House, McCarthy, Kevin McCarthy, along with many others,” she continued. “Because this is not just about political opinion or partisanship. This was about the abandonment of our sworn oath.”
The New York Democrat went on to say that she doesn’t believe those lawmakers are “fit to serve,” and encouraged supporters to hold any lawmaker accountable — including herself — if they “abandon our oath of office.”
Such action, Ocasio-Cortez said, is “necessary in order to preserve our country.”
Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez: “I have demanded the resignations of Sens. Ted Cruz, Josh Hawley, Republican Minorit… https://t.co/eQW2thtED6
— The Hill (@The Hill)1610894700.0
Ocasio-Cortez said last week that if Cruz and Hawley do not resign, the Senate should expel them.
Anything else?
During her virtual town hall, Ocasio-Cortez also said that taxpayer funds should be used to “deradicalize” white supremacists.
Ocasio-Cortez explained that, during her time on the House Subcommittee on Civil Rights and Civil Liberties, she has learned about programs meant to “deradicalize” white supremacists, but blamed President Donald Trump for “pulling the plug” on funding for the programs.
She explained that if America wants to adequately address the ideology that led to the Jan. 6 violence at the U.S. Capitol, funding for such programs needs to be restored.
“We need to double, triple or quadruple, or increase funding for these deradicalization programs en masse,” Ocasio-Cortez said.
It’s not exactly clear who Ocasio-Cortez believes holds white supremacist ideology. However, she indicated last week that she may believe all of Trump’s supporters, and perhaps the entire Republican Party, are white supremacists.
“They give a damn about white supremacy, they care about preserving the social order and the mythology of whiteness,” she said. “They lust for power more than they care about democracy.”
